James D. Gwartney holds the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University, where he directs the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education. His writings have been widely published in both professional journals and popular media. He is the co-author of Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know about Wealth and Prosperity (St. Martin's Press, 2005), a primer on economics and personal finance. Gwartney's current research focuses on the measurement and determination of factors that influence cross-country differences in income levels and growth rates. In this regard he is the coauthor (with Robert Lawson) of the annual report, Economic Freedom of the World, which provides information on the institutions and policies of 141 countries. This data set, published by a worldwide network of institutes in 79 countries, is widely used by scholars investigating topics ranging from economic growth to peaceful relations among nations. He served as Chief Economist of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress during 1999-2000. Gwartney was invited by the incoming Putin Administration in March 2000 to make presentations and have discussions with leading Russian economists concerning the future of the Russian economy. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Adam Smith Award of the Association of Private Enterprise Education for his contribution to the advancement of free market ideals. He is a past President of the Southern Economic Association and the Association for Private Enterprise Education. Gwartney earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Washington.
Russell S. Sobel earned his Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University in 1994. He has published more than 150 books and articles, and has received national recognition for his works on entrepreneurship and FEMA reform. He serves on the editorial board for three academic journals, and on the advisory board for four university centers. He has won numerous awards for both his teaching and his research. He regularly teaches courses in both principles of economics and public economics, and gives lectures at economic education outreach programs. He is a Visiting Scholar in Entrepreneurship in the School of Business Administration at The Citadel.